Our perspective at VantagePoint

How to write an effective B2B e-blast in 30 seconds

Skimming through recent Hubspot blogs, I came across an outstanding post on must-have components of compelling email copy. The author does a great job articulating the hallmarks of effective modern e-blast marketing copy, much of which I found especially true of a B2B audience. However, some of the points were less relevant to B2B, so I thought it’d be helpful to boil things down to the real meat of the post, while adding some additional insight of my own.

So if you’re wondering if that e-blast you’re about to hit “send” on is likely to tickle your prospects’ fancy, spend 30 seconds checking these key points to make sure you’re in line with some industry best practices for effective B2B e-blasts.

Subject Lines:The make or break part of your e-blast. Determines (along with “From” address) open rates. An effective subject line does one or more of the following:

Prompts action by establishing a sense of urgency

Uses attention-grabbing words and phrases

Leverages an insider angle to pique interest since people find information that isn’t ready available to be more believable.

Values and promotes clarity over cleverness

Body copy:The place to “set the hook” on a prospect and nudge them down the purchase path. Successful body copy:

Keeps the focus on the customer by utilizing second-person language. Recipients take a “what’s in it for me” approach to reading emails.

Stresses benefits for the reader, not product/service features.

Stays brief, as readers scan an email for words or phrases particularly relevant or beneficial to them.

Utilizes a call-to-action that’s actionable – give the reader a specific outlet to move further down the purchase path

While this is far from a complete list, a relevant e-blast that follows these quick guidelines is likely to perform well with B2B target audiences. For more guidance on powerful subject lines, check out this blog, or read this for additional insight on email optimization. Also, feel free to sound off in the comments below on effective email attributes I’ve neglected to include.

Collin McElhannon

Collin, senior account executive, joined the VantagePoint team in 2012 and has been a key member of the client services team for Henny Penny, T&S Brass and Saia LTL Freight. A proud Clemson graduate, Collin is as meticulous about his college football fanhood as he is about the details of a new client project.